There’s no doubt that magic mushrooms are illegal in most parts of the world (at least for now).

However, the spores of these mushrooms are often excluded from these laws entirely. This is because the banned substance isn’t the mushrooms themselves but the active ingredients psilocybin and psilocin. Magic mushrooms are considered a “container” for these psychedelic substances, which makes them illegal by proxy.

The spores don’t contain either of these ingredients and are thus available in a sort of legal grey area.

You can order magic mushroom spores legally in many countries, including Canada, the United States (with the exception of 3 states), the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

However, once you germinate the spores, the mycelium and mushrooms they produce are illegal.

Here’s where to buy magic mushroom spores in 2021.

1. Ralphsters

Available in: USA & Canada

Price: $

Ralphsters Spores has been around for decades and offer some of the rarest magic mushroom strains you’re going to find. These guys are clearly passionate about what they do, and offer an incredible genetic diversity.

Ralphsters carries spore syringes, spore prints, and mycology equipment.

Visit Ralphsters

2. Mushroom Prints

Available in: Worldwide

Price: $

Mushroom Prints sell magic mushrooms as well as medicinal and gourmet mushroom spores. This company ships worldwide and offer an enticing insurance policy for orders that are blocked at the border. If your order is stopped for any reason, Mushroom Prints will ship another identical order free of charge. The company claims that 90% of international orders make it to their final destination.

If the second order doesn’t arrive, the company will not issue a refund on the order, so buy at your own risk.

You can choose between a few different methods of payment as well — including mail-in money orders, Bitcoin, or credit card.

Visit Mushroom Prints

3. The Magic Mushrooms Shop

Available in: Europe

Price: $$

The Mushroom Shop has a physical storefront in Amsterdam but ships worldwide. The cost of shipping is relatively expensive, though for anybody outside of Europe.

This company sells a lot more than just magic mushroom spores. It also carries growing equipment, magic truffles, microdoses, ayahuasca herbs, psychoactive cacti, CBD, and much more.

Visit the Magic Mushrooms Shop

4. Viking Spores

Available in: The United Kingdom

Price: $$

Viking Spores is a UK-based magic mushroom spore vendor. By ordering from a company that doesn’t have to ship internationally, you can effectively reduce the chances of your package being stopped at the border. International borders are where most spore packages are blocked, even in places where spores are legal.

This company sells many different magic mushroom strains that are available in both spore syringes and spore prints. Viking Spores also sell gourmet mushroom spores like lion’s mane, oysters, shiitake, and cordyceps.

Visit Viking Spores

5. Spores-Lab

Available in: Canada

Price: $$

Spores-Lab is a Canadian company with some of the rarest magic mushroom strains in North America. You can buy strains from this company not offered by most other vendors, such as Blue Magnolia, White Rabbit, and Albino Penis Envy. Spores Lab also sells mushroom cultivation equipment like pressure cookers, filtration injection lids, fruiting chambers, spawn bags, impulse sealers, and much more.

The prices from this company remain competitive, and there are numerous sales throughout the year that can offer you some pretty good deals if you’re willing to wait for them.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Visit Spores-Lab

First of All, What is a Spore?

A spore is like the seed of a plant, but it functions very differently. Instead of containing a store of nutrients and primordial plant components like a tap root and cotyledons (embryonic leaves), a spore contains just enough genetic material to begin a chain reaction of cell-division to form the fungal body (called mycelium).

Because they don’t have a stored energy source like a seed, spores will only grow and survive if they manage to find nearly perfect growing conditions — a source of food, water, and not too much light or heat.

Spores are very small. Fungi opt for more of a quantity over quality philosophy for distributing genetic material. A single mushroom can release several billion spores each — the vast majority don’t find a suitable place to divide and grow.

The trick to using magic mushroom spores successfully is to provide them with the ideal environment in which they can grow and divide.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Magic mushroom spores are legal in most parts of the world, but with some caveats.

The cultivation of magic mushrooms is illegal, so places that allow the sale of spores only permit their use for non-cultivation purposes — such as microscopy and identification studies. You don’t need to be a university or research program to order spores for the sake of research.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Some countries are more liberal here than others. For example, Jamaica, Brazil, Samoa, and the British Virgin Islands all allow the sale of magic mushroom spores for the sake of cultivation. Other countries, such as Canada, don’t consider magic mushroom cultivation legal but take no action against it.

Suggested Reading: Where are Magic Mushrooms Legal?

How Much Do Magic Mushroom Spores Cost?

The cost of magic mushroom spores is usually around $18–$30 per 10 mL syringe (USD). This works out to around £12–£18, €15–€25, or $20–36 CAD.

The more common spores are usually the cheapest — such as Golden Teachers, Koh Samui, or B+ Cubensis.

More rare strains can be more expensive — such as Panaeolus cyanescens strains, Xico, or Albino Penis Envy.

A single 10 mL syringe should be able to innoculate anywhere from 10 to 40 half-pint (8 oz) jars.

How to Use Magic Mushroom Spores

It isn’t legal to use magic mushroom spores to cultivate mushrooms in most countries, so make sure you’re familiar with local laws before proceeding.

Using magic mushroom spores is fairly simple. Follow our guide to growing magic mushrooms to learn how to prepare substrate jars for inoculation.

You’ll need to mix some sort of substrate for the mushrooms, which serves as both the structure in which the mycelium can grow as well as the food source. There are many options, but the easiest for beginners is a blend of vermiculite and brown rice flour.

Once the substrate is mixed, you’ll need to sterilize it to kill any mold or bacterial spores first. Once this is complete, you can use a spore syringe to inject a small amount of spores directly into the jar (around 0.5 to 1 cc). Seal it back up and place it in a warm spot for the mycelium to begin colonizing.

You can also use syringes to inject some spores onto an agar plate or into a liquid culture jar.

If using spore prints, you can either make syringes yourself or lace a few spores into the jars directly using an inoculation loop.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Spore Syringes vs. Spore Prints

When shopping for magic mushrooms, you can buy two main types of spores — spore syringes and spore prints.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Spore Prints

A spore print is made by leaving a mushroom cap with the gill side down on a surface for a few hours. The spores will drop from the cap onto the surface, leaving a visible print that resembles the gill pattern of the mushroom. Spore prints last a very long time and offer great value for the money. Compared to syringes, they’re just a little bit harder to use for novice mushroom cultivators.

The Pros & Cons of Spore Prints

ProsCons
The most cost-effective spore products
Easy to make yourself at home from old stock
Lasts a very long time (more than ten years if stored properly)
More suitable for experienced growers
Higher chance of contamination

Spore Syringes

A spore syringe is the most popular product for novice and experienced growers alike, purely because of how simple they are to use. First, a spore print is made. Next, the spores are mixed into a solution of distilled water. The syringe is then used to suck up both the water and the spores.

Syringes are easy to use because you can inject your jars directly without messing around with spore print scrapings. The less muddling around you do, the less likely it is you’ll run into contamination issues.

The Pros & Cons of Spore Syringes

ProsCons
Easy to use
Reduces the risk of contamination
Widely available in many different strains
Stores for a long time in the fridge
Not as cost-effective as prints
Low-quality vendors may sell contaminated syringes
It won’t innoculate as many jars as prints

Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in The United States

The only states so far that have expanded on the regulations prohibiting the sale of magic mushrooms to include the non-psychoactive spores are California (surprisingly), Georgia, and Idaho.

The other 47 states don’t specifically ban magic mushroom spores, but growing them remains explicitly illegal. So in the eyes of the US government, you can buy spores for the sake of research and microscopy, but you aren’t allowed to actually use them to grow magic mushrooms at home.

The best place to buy spores in the United States is Ralphsters Spores.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in Canada

It’s very easy to find magic mushroom spores in Canada. The laws here are confusing and contradictory but are much more relaxed than in most other countries.

In Canada, magic mushrooms are illegal — yet there has not been any action taken against vendors selling grow kits, spores, or magic mushrooms themselves for several years. Buyers of these products have also gone unaffected by these products for a long time.

Vancouver, Canada, recently decriminalized magic mushrooms and there are now grey-area mushroom dispensaries in the downtown core. Authorities have taken no action against these shops.

The best place to buy spores in Canada are Spores101 and Sporeworks.Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)

Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in The Netherlands,CA

The Netherlands is notoriously relaxed when it comes to plant or fungi-based psychedelics, but the laws are a bit perplexing.

For example, magic mushroom truffles are legal, but the mushrooms are not. There’s no difference in the psychedelic effects of truffles versus magic mushrooms. The only difference is that mushrooms tend to be a little bit more potent gram for gram.

It’s easy to buy mushroom spores if you live in the Netherlands, but be aware that you can’t legally grow anything here but truffles. Only specific species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms will form truffles, and only when the conditions are right.

The main species used in the Netherlands for magic truffles are Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe tampanensis.

The best place to buy magic mushroom spores in the Netherlands is The Magic Mushroom Shop.

Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in Australia

Magic mushrooms and their spores are illegal in Australia. There are no legitimate vendors here, and it’s illegal to order them from overseas. Border authorities will stop the order if they determine the package contains magic mushroom spores. They may attempt to take further action against the buyer.

If you receive a letter from the border officials asking you to come and pick up your package, it’s wise to disregard and accept the loss of your order. Appearing in person to claim the package could lead to an admittance of guilt for ordering a prohibited substance in Australia.

We advise you don’t order spores if you live in Australia, but if you choose to do so, you can use any European or North American vendor and have it shipped to your address. It may or may not get through, and most companies don’t offer a delivery guarantee for orders sent to Australia.

Where to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in the United Kingdom

Magic mushroom spores are legal in the UK until the moment they’re germinated. You can order magic mushroom grow kits here too, but unlike in North America, they don’t come pre-inoculated. Instead, these kits come with the spores and the pre-sterilized substrate material to inoculate yourself.

You can order spores legally from places like Viking Spores and Cyclocybe legally in the UK.

It’s also common for people to use the Netherlands-based spore providers and have it shipped to the UK. 

Also see: Top 5 Mushroom Grow Kits (2022)

How to Store Magic Mushroom Spores

If you store your spores correctly, they’ll remain viable for a long time.

Syringes will last around six months at room temperature and between 12 and 24 months in a fridge.

Spore prints will remain viable for more than ten years if kept in a cool dark place, and you refrain from opening them up to the air as little as possible. Most will come wrapped in tinfoil, but it helps if you can keep it in an airtight container if you plan to store it for a long time. You can place them in the fridge if you want, but this may not be necessary.

Final Thoughts: Buying Magic Mushroom Spores in 2021

What better way to secure a steady source of psychedelics for microdosing or personal growth and healing than growing them at home yourself?

The process of growing magic mushrooms can be extremely rewarding.

The starting point for growing magic mushrooms is to order yourself some spores. Using this stock, you can create a perpetual cycle of magic mushrooms by harvesting more spores from the mushrooms you collect.

There are lots of excellent places to order spores, as well as community spore trading resources like the spore traders subreddit. A few places to check out include Ralphsters (Canada & the US), The Magic Mushrooms Shop (Europe), and Viking Spores (The UK).

With that said, make sure you’re familiar with your local laws before you order. In many countries, you can order spores legally, but it becomes illegal as soon as you germinate theWhere to Buy Magic Mushroom Spores (Canada, USA, Europe,CA)m.

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